


In Media Res

by MichyStar



Category: DRAMAtical Murder
Genre: Flashbacks, M/M, Rape Recovery, Slight spoilers for Re:Connect, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-28
Updated: 2013-06-28
Packaged: 2017-12-16 09:47:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/860744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MichyStar/pseuds/MichyStar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Novels always have happy endings, but what happens after the story ends? Happiness can only last for so long.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Media Res

**Author's Note:**

> Finally after months (I need to work on actual consistent writing without huge pauses) I finished this! It came out a /lot/ longer than I had originally planned. I hope it turned out ok and nothing seems ooc!
> 
> I started this before Re:Connect was released, so a large majority of this is headcanons...Which apparently happen in canon somewhat. What do ya know.
> 
> Lastly quick thanks to the best husband ever for helping me with the title.

Admiring Mink from afar had become a pastime for Aoba. Especially during days like these--when the air would become stifling and heavy no matter how many windows were opened. Mink took it all in stride; Aoba complained whenever he could.

"If we weren't in the forest we'd get more of a breeze..."

"When we do get one you complain and sneeze."

Aoba opened his mouth to retort that statement, but soon enough closed it. He was too tired to argue right now, and too tired to even think about arguing. Just turning his head took more energy than he'd like. A wooden floor, no matter how cool, was not a good place to rest.

Mink was on the couch reading. It was still early in the day, but seeing as it was too hot to think about going outside that didn't leave much to do. Unlike Aoba he didn't seem to notice the heat. His hair wasn't tied back and he was wearing clothes only somewhat lighter than his normal ones. He was the complete opposite of Aoba, who was wearing as little clothes as possible--boxers, tank top--and had his hair tied up high. Even then some of the feathers Mink had long ago braided in his hair tickled the back of his neck.

Eyes on Mink, Aoba watched as he continued to read, looking over each page a few times before moving on. He remembered when he found out the older man wore reading glasses. Back then he had thought it was weird to see Mink with them--back then it was still weird seeing him in clothes other than his coat, hair in a style other than long dreads. But now he found that they fit Mink, in some odd way.

As time had gone on he learned more about Mink and his little quirks, the things he would have never seen in Platinum Jail. If someone had told him last year that he'd end up living with Mink, be starting a new life with him, Aoba just might have thought they were crazy. Now it all felt so natural he could barely imagine life without it.

When he thinks about it, it's almost too normal, too perfect. An ending one would find in a novel. But their story is too large and too complex to fit into just one book; so this must be the sequel. Or maybe this is the epilogue.

If that's so Aoba can't help but wonder what parts of their respective pasts make up the chapters.

 

. . .

DISCOVERY

 

The Mink of Aoba's memories was a fearsome man. Tall and strongly built, Aoba knew firsthand how much damage he could do. With eyes that looked through you and a face that never smiled but instead smirked. He was intimidating.

Whether that all was an act Aoba's still not sure. All he's sure of now is he wants to know. Even if the truth is ugly and it turns out he's been wrong this whole time. He wants to see Mink smile, and know simple things like what his favorite food is.

Most of all he wants to know that Mink has kept going. Be it at a slow, rocky pace or not. And if he hasn't, then Aoba will be there to help him one step at a time.

The Mink in front of Aoba is not the Mink from his memories. His hair flows freely, and like his eyes it shines gold in the sunlight. He's still taller than Aoba could ever hope to be, and still strong enough to hurt him. Even so, Aoba gets the feeling that he won't.

Because this Mink--the one looking _at_ him and not through him--is the real Mink. Aoba doesn't doubt there are still chains around him, but unlike before they're not as thick, not as heavy. He doesn't need Scrap to see that. He sees it all in the way Mink regards him.

He had so much he wanted to say to, yet the first thought that enters his head is 'beautiful.' It's a word usually used to describe something smooth and not rough around the edges like Mink is, but it's the only word Aoba can think of, among other things. Scrap may be gone but his mind is still a mess, a jumble of words swirling around waiting to be released. Maybe once he collects himself he'll actually be able to string them together and say what he's been wanting to for months.

_Your life isn't over; your new one starts now._

Even as he sprints up to meet him Aoba can only continue thinking of that one word.

. . .

FALLING ACTION

 

The reunion is the most emotionally stressing part, he'd always thought. Leave it to Mink to prove him wrong.

This isn't some fairy tale--Aoba honestly doesn't know what he expected.

After their meeting on the cliff side, Mink had told him to go back. Still high-strung with emotions Aoba told him no. He had come all this way, spent all his money, and left his family and friends. He wasn't going back now, after months of chasing he finally found him and he was going to stay.

It was only when the taller man frowned, stepped forward, and Aoba found himself tensing up out of reflex did he realize that, no matter how small, a part of him was still afraid of Mink. He had long ago pushed the memories of Glitter behind him, but they were still there. It wasn't something so easily forgotten or forgiven.

He had hoped the other man didn't see, but wishes only came with a one in ten chance of coming true. Though there was no visible change to his expression, Aoba could tell Mink had noticed. His next actions--walking past him without a second glance and saying gruffly to follow him--proved it.

Before his heart had been beating like mad, high off of adrenaline, and now it simply sat heavy in his chest. His racing thoughts crashed and slowly burned. Even so, he refused to let this be the end of him. To give up now would defeat his whole purpose of being here.

He would work around it.

Hopefully.

 

Aoba followed Mink out of the forest and was introduced to his home, a nice roomy cabin much too big for one person.

. . .

MISTRANSLATION

 

The first thing Mink did once he and Aoba entered the house was leave the room.

Well, it was a start.

Aoba took this time to look around what he assumed was the living room. In the middle was a couch, facing a fire place with a radio on top of it. The fact that Mink didn't own a TV wasn't too surprising to Aoba. Next to the fire place was a large bookshelf. The top few shelves weren't filled with books like the others; instead they held what looked like photographs and various items.

Aoba realized with a weird feeling in his gut that they were of Mink's family.

The rest of the room was rather normal. On the floor laid a patterned rug, on one wall was a window that pointed outside, and on the other was a door; the one Mink had disappeared through. Curiosity almost got the best of him, but now wasn't the time. With nothing better to do Aoba took a seat on the couch. Mink reappeared a few minutes later.

"What do you want?"

"Eh?" Aoba was caught off guard by the question. Instantly various answers and excuses came to him, causing his head to spin trying to pick and choose one. Was it him or did Mink look irritated? Was it because he flinched away earlier?

Seeming to notice his problem, Mink, much to Aoba's relief, clarified. "Are you hungry, or thirsty?"

...Oh.

Feeling like a fool for assuming the worse right off Aoba ducked his head to hide the slight flush on his cheeks. "I'm fine. Can't we just talk?" It was a bit strange seeing Mink trying to be hospitable. Besides, the longer it took for them to talk the harder it would be.

Mink's outer appearance may have changed very much since Aoba had last seen him in Platinum Jail, but he was still as grouchy as ever. At least this time he didn't sigh when he sat down--not close to Aoba but not so far away either.

It was progress. Possibly.

"What is there to talk about? You finally found me, so now you can leave." Mink was leaning back, eyes closed. His brows were furrowed as if he was troubled and Aoba worried for a moment that trouble was himself.

"I'm not leaving; I'm going to stay here."

"These aren't things you decide for yourself."

"Isn't that what you told me to do? I wanted to see you, so I came. Leaving now would do nothing. I want to stay here." At that Mink opened his eyes and looked over at him. Still not used to seeing him with golden eyes, Aoba stared.

"Even after what I did to you?" That effectively snapped Aoba of his trance. While he had expected the topic to come up, the fact it did so quickly surprised him. Aoba had taken Mink to be the kind that didn't ask questions, only answered. Seeing that he was wrong was oddly refreshing.

As for that question...he had to think about it. Regardless of all the thought he's put into it over the course of the past months, actually saying and confirming it was different. Aoba steadied himself both physically and mentally before answering.

"Yes.” No, that sounded too simple, and in this situation nothing was simple.

“Well, mostly I want to know why you did it. After all, you planned on dying after you killed Toue, right? I get that what people thought of you was the last thing on your mind…but, if you had told me about your plan from the start things could have gone differently. Most likely you didn’t want anyone to get attached to you, so that’s why you did those things to me. Of course I’m probably just making assumptions here.” Aoba took a small pause before continuing.

“When I used Scrap and nothing changed I thought I had failed. I already screwed up before, and the one time I wanted to use my power more than anything else I messed up. It was a really horrible feeling, so after the tower collapsed and you were gone I just couldn’t accept it. I knew I had to find you, so I left home and came here. That’s why I’m going to stay.”

For a long time Mink did not speak, and once he did his voice gave no hint as to what he was feeling, nothing more than an exasperated mutter. “You’re a persistent brat…”

The jab wasn’t one unfamiliar to Aoba, but it still stung. He tilted his head down to hide the small pout on his face. That pout turned into a frown when the sound of Mink standing passed his ears. There was a footstep—just one—and then something totally different.

Rough, warm skin pressed against his cheek, slowly tilting his head up. This was something completely unexpected, and once again Aoba found himself staring into Mink’s golden eyes. The same hand that rested on his cheek then moved back, tucking some hair behind his ear.

Childish as it was; Aoba felt his heart skip a beat.

Something about Mink’s expression was different, but just as suddenly as it had come, his hand retracted, and his stone mask was put on once more. “The bedroom on the left is empty. Don’t make too much trouble.”

With that Mink exited the room again, leaving Aoba alone on the couch. Now alone Aoba put his hand to his cheek, right over where Mink’s had previously been. It was still warm—from Mink’s touch or the blush he wasn’t sure.

In the end Aoba still hadn’t managed to say everything he wanted to. But now that Mink had—in his own way—accepted him there’d be more than enough time to tell him.

Still, Aoba felt like there was some sort of disconnect between them; as if they were speaking different languages and looking at the wrong translations. It would take a while, but hopefully one day they’d manage to end up on the same page.

. . .

HOME SICKNESS

 

Aoba moved his stuff in later that day and from then on they lived together, if that’s what you could call it. To Aoba it seemed more as if they were sharing the house, entering and exiting at completely different times. Mink got up early and came back late. The first morning Aoba woke up to no sign of him in the house caused him to panic, that is until Ren told him that Mink went out to work and would be back later. Apparently he trusted the dog more than Aoba himself. Occasionally Mink would return home while Aoba was still awake. Not that it mattered since he hardly acknowledged him.

That hurt Aoba more than any punch of his could.

As the days went by and nothing changed Aoba started to feel his spirits weakening. Perhaps Mink had been right; he made a mistake leaving everything behind to come here. Coming here had changed nothing and would change nothing. He obviously wasn’t wanted, so why bother staying? At one point Aoba found himself missing the hectic and dirty streets of Midorijima. Even the dark back alleys seemed welcoming.

The only connection with his old life was Tae. Before he’d left she made him promise to call her at least once a week, a promise he’d never broken. It must have been obvious to her how low he felt but thankfully she never commented. Their calls always ended with her reminding him to do what he felt was right and it never failed to make Aoba smile.

Tae’s reassurance made him happy but most of the time it was Ren who was Aoba’s support. Being the only other person to talk to meant he heard a majority of Aoba’s complaints and worries. It wasn’t anything new, after all they’d been together for a long time, but even Ren eventually got tired of hearing it.

One night Aoba decided to try waiting for Mink to come home. As the sky got darker and darker and there was no sign of Mink he started to complain, speaking words of self-doubt and blame. Usually Ren would tell him otherwise, but that night he actually agreed. Shocked, Aoba listened as Ren explained, polite as always, that Mink was a stubborn man. He’d spent a large amount of time planning his revenge and it always ended in his death, yet he’s continued living till now. There has to be a reason but he won’t admit it. To find out that reason Aoba would have to make the first move.

By the end Aoba found himself gaping at Ren, who simply butted his forehead against Aoba's chin in reply.

It was a lot to think about, but once he did Aoba realized that Ren was right. Nothing would change at this rate, so he would have to make the first move. As if sensing this new plan of his the front door opened a second later and Mink walked in followed by Tori. He barely glanced at Aoba as he walked by.

It was now or nothing. When Mink passed the couch Aoba reached out and grabbed his sleeve. “Wait a second.” He did his best to keep his voice steady and firm. Mink most likely wouldn’t listen to him otherwise.

“…What do you need?”

Crap. Aoba mentally slapped himself for not thinking of something to say beforehand. It would look stupid to just let things go now so he needed to at least act as if he had a plan. Letting go of Mink’s sleeve Aoba stood up, positioning himself in front of the taller man. “Well, it’s just…” When he looked up again he found gold eyes staring at him, making him panic even more.

So he kissed him.

Aoba leaned up on his toes and gave Mink a quick closed mouth kiss, eyes screwed shut. In the short second the kiss lasted he heard Mink’s breath catch and someone—most likely Tori—murmur an ‘oh my.’

Whatever had possessed him to kiss Mink soon left and he soon pulled away. “Ah…” Aoba didn’t have to look up to know he was being stared at. He still needed an excuse for what he did, so he said the first words that came to mind. “Welcome home.”

And then, he ran. Well, actually, he stood there fidgeting for a few seconds, and when Mink still didn’t say anything he pushed out a good night, grabbed Ren off the couch, and speed walked to his room. Only when the door closed did he relax, falling onto his bed with a loud sigh.

Mink probably thought he was even more annoying now. Or strange. Or stupid. There were many possibilities. It was embarrassing but in the end it had been a simple one sided kiss.

“…”

Aoba sat up quickly, fingers drifting to his lips. His mouth opened and closed a few times before words finally came out. “That…was our first kiss. That was my first kiss with Mink.”

A sudden knock on the door made Aoba jump. There was only one person who it could be, so he scrambled out of bed and got up. “What’s wrong—”

Something soft touched his lips. It was more of a brush than anything, but it was _something_.

"Good night." Just as Aoba had earlier, Mink left quickly. The only difference was he didn’t seem flustered or embarrassed.

Having been shocked into silence at the kiss Aoba just stood there in the door way gaping like an idiot. He barely noticed Ren jumping off the bed and walking over to him. “Aoba, are you ok?”

“…And that was my second kiss with Mink.”

. . .

BRAND NEW DAY

 

Since that night there had been some progress between them, and a few more kisses. Mink would return home and if Aoba was still awake he’d give him a short kiss and a welcome home, always one sided. Aoba had no idea why he kept doing it, but Mink never said anything—never did anything—so there was no point in stopping. At least this way he was getting some human contact.

While Aoba was fine with this little arrangement, he couldn’t deny that he was starting to want more. It was contradictory; in the back of his mind he knew that he still didn’t forgive Mink for beating him all those months ago, but at the same time he wanted Mink to touch him. Perhaps he’d gone too long without steady physical contact; any touch at this point would be fine.

Aoba wanted Mink to touch him, but he was lucky to get even a nod from the other man after a kiss. It appeared that, just as he had before, Aoba would have to make the first move again.

He waited until Mink didn’t have to go to work for once. Making his way to the living room Aoba walked in unannounced, hoping to catch Mink at a good time. When he looked Mink was standing in front of the couch, glasses and a book in his hand. “Since when do you wear glasses?” Aoba hadn’t realized he’d spoken aloud until Mink glared at him from across the room.

“They’re for reading. If you paid attention to your surroundings maybe you would have noticed.”

The insult didn’t pass by him, but there were more important matters to discuss. Frowning, Aoba made his way over to the couch, taking a seat next to where he assumed Mink was going to sit. “I need to talk to you.” After his failure—or could it be considered a success?—last time he wasn’t going to let this chance slip by. It took a little time, but Mink eventually sat down next to him.

“Talk.”

“Whenever I kiss you, you don’t kiss back and it’s pissing me off.” There were thousands upon thousands of way he could have phrased that better, but he seemed to have gotten his point across well enough. Mink was looking at him with a somewhat surprised expression, but didn’t say anything else. Aoba took this as a sign to continue on, and began to elaborate. “I’ve been here for almost half a year now. I miss my family, my friends, even the brats grew on me a little. But I left all of that to come here, to be with you. The least you can do is pay more attention to me, but not as some sort of pet or toy.” He’d done well so far, but the next part made him blush. “I want you to kiss me back when I kiss you. When I say ‘welcome home’, I want something more than just a nod. I want you to stop ignoring me and for once just touch me.”

Aoba found that keeping his eyes fixed on the fireplace was easier than looking straight at Mink. It was embarrassing, but he’d meant it. Next to him Mink was silent, probably thinking over what he’d said. As much as he wanted to know, he could wait for a reply. It wasn’t something one could answer right away after all. With their history a request like this wasn’t easy—for Aoba or for Mink.

Watching the flames made him feel oddly at peace. Their flickering dance distracted him from any worries that entered his mind.

Finally after what seemed like hours, Aoba got his reply. “Are you sure?” For all the time he’d gotten to think it over it wasn’t a very good answer, yet Aoba understood. It was something he’d asked himself many time while preparing for this moment.

Taking a deep breath Aoba stood up, moved in front of Mink, and settled himself on the other man’s lap. This close it was impossible to miss how Mink’s eyes widened. Steadying himself once more Aoba leaned down and kissed Mink, making sure to put more into it than those little kisses from before. When he pulled away Mink’s expression hadn’t changed. “I’m sure…I’ll be fine.”

Mink still looked at him as if he wasn’t sure, so Aoba leaned down and kissed him again. It took a second, but finally he got what he had longed for all this time—Mink kissed him back.

Elation overcame Aoba and he didn’t hesitate to deepen the kiss, arms locking around Mink’s neck. He got one final look at Mink’s face before shutting his eyes. This was something he’d known he wanted and at the same time something completely new. Mink’s lips were surprisingly soft and every time they separated for even a second Aoba wanted more. Something seemed to change in Mink—as if he’d been holding back and was slowly cracking—and before he knew what was happening Aoba felt himself get picked up. Surprised he pulled away, scrambling for a hold before hooking his legs around Mink’s waist to support himself.

Now that that had been fixed he looked back to Mink. An odd feeling of satisfaction filled Aoba when he noticed how they both were out of breath. That didn’t stop him from leaning back in for another kiss. This one was deeper and Aoba almost moaned when he felt Mink nip at his bottom lip before sliding his tongue in his mouth.

Lost in the feeling of the kiss Aoba didn’t notice that Mink had taken him to a different room until he felt something soft touch his back. As Mink laid him down on the bed he pulled away, leaving Aoba devoid of all contact. Opening his eyes, Aoba took this chance to look around the dimly lit room. He realized that he’d never seen it before—which could only mean that this was Mink’s room.

The mere fact the other had taken him to his room made Aoba excited. Before Mink had been so secretive and never allowed him in his room, yet here they were. The feeling of hands on his stomach and sliding up his shirt brought Aoba back to attention. Once more he wrapped his arms around Mink’s shoulders, kissing him. Yet…

It didn’t seem right.

Whereas before Aoba had thrown his everything into the kiss just to convince Mink to kiss back, now he found himself hesitating. Even if the hands touching his chest, brushing his nipples, felt good he couldn’t seem to fully convince himself of it. Aoba tried to convince himself that he was just being silly, that his hesitation was false and he was making it up, but it just didn’t work. Mink’s hands on him felt good but they didn’t. 

It wasn’t until his pants were unbuckled and tugged down did he realize what was wrong. The whole time he’d been squirming more and more, trying to find a way to get comfortable but nothing helped. When he looked up instead of warm gold eyes Aoba saw cold blue ones.

His breath caught in his throat and Aoba tensed up, eyes shutting on reflex, waiting to be hit. The atmosphere changed instantly. In the back of his mind Aoba was yelling at himself—he’d asked for this. He’d wanted this, why the hell was he freezing up? He told Mink he could do this, he was sure he could do this. It’d been nearly a year since Glitter; he could move on now. Aoba was sure he had moved on.

Instead of a fist, Aoba felt lips on his cheek and then his forehead, pressing soft kisses to his skin. Shakily he opened his eyes again and looked up. Gold eyes stared back. Gritting his teeth, Aoba opened his mouth to speak. “…Go on.”

_‘Don’t look at me like that.’_

“I’ll be ok.” This was just a small mistake. He could get over it easily.

His trembling hands said otherwise.

Mink regarded him for a moment before shaking his head. “You’re not ready.”

It was a truth Aoba didn't want to accept. Mink had changed, so why couldn't he? This time when he opened his mouth, as hard as he tried, no words came out.

Aoba didn’t fight as Mink carefully pulled his hands off of him and began rearranging his clothes. “It’s late. You should sleep.”

Clothes back in place, Aoba watched as Mink got off the bed. A second later the lights went out and the door softly shut.

Now alone in the dark Aoba realized just how badly he’d screwed up. Mink had changed; given him his bed—his _room_ and hadn’t pushed him past his comfort zone. That alone should be enough to show Aoba that he won’t hit or rape him again, yet he still froze up at the worst possible time.

A small groan escaped his lips and Aoba rolled over, pressing his face into Mink’s pillow. Just like that night in Platinum Jail Aoba couldn’t help but notice the faint smell of cinnamon in the air.

The next morning he felt horrible, sluggish. Aoba had gotten little sleep the previous night, kept up by one constant thought.

Mink had changed; why couldn’t he?

. . .

RESOLUTION(?)

 

It didn’t make sense to him. The last time he had a nightmare of being raped was a few months after the Oval Tower’s collapse. Aoba had never told anyone exactly what had happened and after a few unsuccessful tries they stopped asking. The closest anyone got to knowing was Mizuki, whose hands Aoba had slapped away when they got too close to his neck.

The nightmares may have stopped, but a constant was his neck. He never enjoyed being touched in the first place, but ever since his experience with Mink Aoba had been more on edge. His headphones were no problem but if someone got too close he’d push them away. Just the feeling of breath on his neck was enough to make him jump.

Perhaps that was it. At this point, it wasn’t so much the rape that haunted Aoba, but the memory of being choked to the brink of passing out only to be brought back. That’s why he froze, because he expected those hands to clamp down on his neck after they pulled off his pants. If that was the case then there was only one way he could—hopefully—solve this.

"Touch me."

Mink stared at Aoba from over his book for a few seconds before closing it with a sigh. Removing his glasses he rubbed at his eyes before speaking. “We’ve discussed this already. You’re not ready.”

For their relationship to truly start they would have to get over this bump in the road. For that reason this had to be done. “Mink,” Aoba moved closer and grabbed the other man’s hand—so large and powerful—and pressed it to his chest, over his heart. Could he feel how fast it was beating? For good measure Aoba put more pressure into it. “Touch me, please. I need you to do this for me.”

Mink continued to stare at him and then clicked his tongue. “Demanding like always, huh?” He stood up so that now the both of them were standing in front of the couch face to face. Aoba had been about to speak when he noticed Mink looking at his hand and back up at him, considering something. “How am I supposed to touch you?”

In this situation that question could have been interpreted many different ways; Aoba took the deeper meaning. He felt his breath hitch and his resolve strengthen more. There’d be no more fooling around, no more freezing up. He’d helped Mink move on from his painful past and now Mink would help him move on from theirs. Overcome with emotion, Aoba leaned up and gave Mink a quick kiss.

“Put your hands on my neck. Slowly, carefully. I just need you to do this for me.” Taking Mink’s other hand now Aoba moved them to rest on his shoulders. Just feeling thumbs near his neck made him anxious, but he had to ignore that. Taking a deep breath Aoba let go of Mink’s hands and closed his eyes.

This was risky. While Aoba had a feeling Mink wouldn’t do anything to harm him, there was still the risk that he might have misunderstood and would actually try to choke him. If Mink did anything even slightly harmful to him then he’d leave, because obviously nothing had changed and everything was a lie.

In his mind Aoba visualized the old Mink, glaring down at him with an expressionless face as his hands clamped down on his throat.

Aoba felt hands slide up and wrap around his neck. Immediately he wanted to push Mink off, say he changed his mind and tell him that he was right and he isn’t ready and may never be ready. The image of Mink in his head—as if hearing these worries—smirked.

Minutes passed before he’d realized it, and Mink hadn’t moved his hands once. Not away or to squeeze.

Instead one slid to the back of his neck and the other disappeared. Aoba soon felt fingers running through his hair. Still, he kept his eyes closed. For all he knew Mink could go back to his neck and start choking him at any second.

Even so he felt oddly relaxed.

Aoba felt his hair being brushed a few more times before being lifted. As much as he wanted to look he forced himself to keep his eyes closed. Mink could yank on his hair, could still hurt him. But once again nothing seemed to happen.

He couldn’t take this anticipation. If Mink was going to hurt him he might as well do it now. Though he didn’t want to Aoba forced his eyes open, and a second later after he realized what he was seeing, they widened.

Mink had taken some of Aoba’s hair into his hand and was pressing it to his lips.

The sight was enough to make a painful feeling arise in his chest.

Maybe he was jumping to conclusions, but Mink had apologized. It may not have been verbally, but it was an apology to Aoba none the less. By that one little action it was as if Mink was trying to make right everything wrong he’d done before. In his head, Aoba’s picture of the old Mink wavered before cracking and shattering.

Truthfully, even if he said sorry Aoba knew deep down that it would be a long time before he was able to fully trust Mink. If he left now that wouldn’t happen, so it looked as if he would have to stay.

“…Ha.” This whole situation was so ridiculous that Aoba couldn’t help but laugh.

Opening his eyes, Mink let go of Aoba’s hair and looked at him. “What’s so funny?”

Laughing more now Aoba fell forward, making himself comfortable in Mink’s arms. He didn’t even notice that Mink’s hand was still resting on his neck. He couldn’t answer Mink, after all what could he say? That everything was suddenly funny to him? That all his worrying and sleepless nights had been for nothing?

Eventually his laughter died down to a few chuckles. Straightening himself Aoba looked up at Mink with a wide smile, leaning up to give him a passionate kiss.

“…Are you high again?” He looked confused and amused at the same time.

The question got Aoba laughing again, and this time Mink was the one to muffle it with a kiss.

While they kissed Aoba put his arms around Mink’s neck, fingers tangling themselves in the other’s hair. Mink was so tall that he had to lean up on his toes to reach him, but Aoba could care less about that right now. All that mattered was that he was happy.

As they kissed Aoba couldn’t help but grin. It would take a while—weeks, months, maybe even years. It would take a while but eventually he and Mink would be able to fully put the past behind them and move on.

They were finally on the same page; now they just had to continue the story.

. . .

 

"...ba. Oi, Aoba. Wake up."

"Hm...? No... Five more minutes."

"Idiot." Still in a napping state, Aoba had no protection against Mink's next attack. One moment he was sleeping peacefully, and the next he’s suddenly swung up, strong arms surrounding him.

"Eh? Mink? What are you doing?" Seconds ago he'd been asleep but now he was wide awake. He tried to sit up but Mink's hold on him was firm. Looking around Aoba found that they were still in the living room. On the coffee table sat the book Mink had been reading minutes--was it minutes? Turning his head towards the window Aoba let out a surprised sound. It was turning dark outside, the sun reflecting an orange purple. Hours? How long had he been out exactly?

"I tried to wake you earlier but you did not budge." Another thing Aoba had learned while living with Mink was that he was naturally strong, and working out every other day increased that. Holding Aoba in one arm he grabbed his book off the table, depositing it on top of Aoba. "Floors aren't for sleeping on." Now that everything was cleaned off the table he started towards the hallway.

Hearing this made Aoba pout and he gave Mink's shoulder a small smack. "Then why didn't you carry me to our room earlier? Ahh geez, my neck hurts..." Now that it had been pointed out, Aoba did realize he felt sore and sticky all over. Next time he laid on the floor maybe he'd bring a pillow and blanket.

A scoff came from above him, "then don't sleep on the floor." Arriving at their shared room Mink opened the door, not letting go of Aoba until they were at the bed. He set Aoba down and took the spot next to him. "You looked peaceful. What did you dream of?"

As Aoba made himself comfortable on the bed he thought over Mink's question. He still remembered the dream--or, well, flashbacks--clearly. But he felt a little playful right now, so he could fill Mink in on the details later. Crawling over to Mink's side Aoba laid back down and cuddled up to him, moving Mink's arm so it was wrapped around his shoulders. "Books. Actually, a book. That doesn't exist."

Mink rolled over so that he was on top of Aoba. Looking down and seeing a sly grin on the other's face, as if he had some special secret, made him chuckle. "The heat went to your head."

Grin widening Aoba reached up, wrapping his arms around Mink's back and running slender fingers through his hair. "Not yet it hasn’t.”


End file.
